Aging of the Aboriginal population

Similar to the Canadian population as a whole, the Aboriginal population is aging primarily because of declining fertility and increasing life expectancy.
According to scenario 3 for the projections of the Aboriginal identity population—based on constant ethnic mobility and constant fertility^Note 10—the aging of this population may continue over the coming decades. Between 2011 and 2031, the proportion of persons aged 65 and over within the Aboriginal identity population may nearly triple, from 5.9% in 2011 to 15.1% in 2031. However, the proportion of the Aboriginal population aged 65 and over in 2031 is projected to remain lower than that of the non-Aboriginal population (23.4%).
Within the Aboriginal identity population, the age structures vary from one group to another, with the Inuit population remaining younger than the First Nation and Métis populations, and the Métis having the oldest population of these three Aboriginal groups.

Notes